A high-level Turkish delegation is set to meet Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus Monday, Turkey's foreign ministry announced.

Both countries have developed close ties since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, and the visit by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defense Minister Yasar Guler allows for a "general assessment" of relations, a ministry source told AFP.

Iran insisted on Monday that its missile program was defensive in nature and designed to dissuade attack, while adding the existence of its arsenal was not up for debate.

Israel had presented Iran's ballistic missiles, along with its nuclear programme, as the two main threats it sought to neutralise during the 12-day war the foes fought in June.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has called for renewed military action against Hamas and Hezbollah if they fail to disarm and accused the Palestinian Islamist group of consolidating its power in Gaza.

The Republican politician, on a visit to Israel, is a staunch ally of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Israeli strikes in south Lebanon have killed one person and wounded another, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel's military said it targeted Hezbollah members.

Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah infrastructure or operatives, despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities that erupted over the Gaza war.

North Korea said on Sunday that Japan's nuclear ambitions "must be prevented at any cost", after a Tokyo official reportedly suggested the country should possess atomic weapons.

Israel's security cabinet approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move the country's far-right finance minister said on Sunday was aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The Kremlin on Sunday denied that three-way talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States were on the cards, as diplomats gathered in Miami for talks on ending the conflict.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has published a long-awaited banking draft bill, which distributes losses from the 2019 economic crisis between banks and the state.

The draft law is a key demand from the international community, which has conditioned economic aid to Lebanon on financial reforms.

A Syria monitor said Saturday that at least five Islamic State jihadist group members including a cell leader were killed in U.S. strikes overnight after a deadly attack on American troops last weekend.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged the disarmament of Hamas but voiced hope for headway on reaching the next stage of a Gaza ceasefire as regional officials met.